Sure it’s simple to tell when you’re flying over the clouds, but what about anticipating whether you’ll be flying into the clouds if you maintain your current altitude? This is a pretty important concept for any VFR pilot.
Author Archives: ThreePapaFoxtrot
UConn Rentschler Field Painting Flyover
Watching the UConn paint dry while flying over Rentschler field.
Too busy flying to blog
Wow, it’s been a few months since my last post, I hate when that happens. I have a bunch of topics queued up, but for now I’ll quickly get you caught up.
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Simulated engine out spiral descent
Simulated engine failure at 4,500′ with a spiral down for landing at Hartford Brainard, KHFD. The prop is moving but the plane is at idle so it’s basically just a glider. The descent is sped up 800x, it actually took quite a bit longer to get down.
Where Will I Go When I Get My Ticket?
I’m getting close to being ready for my private pilot checkride so I’m already thinking of where I want to go. Continue reading
The Logic Behind Class E Airspace
Need help understanding Class E Airspace logic? This is a must read.
The Logic Behind Class E Airspace
Cross-country bobblehead time lapse
Here’s a time lapse video of my workload during my second solo cross country flight, coming back from New Bedford, MA.
Night Time is the Right Time
After about 5 weeks of the weather gods having their way with my plans, I finally got in my first night lesson. It was a perfect night, 50 degrees, some patchy clouds at 20,000′ eventually cleared to unveil the stars. The moon was nowhere to be found. The air was perfectly still. Continue reading
Flying as a Workout
I’m usually an active person and try to keep a steady workout routine. Unfortunately flying and studying has definitely stolen a good chunk of my workout time. When I do workout I usually monitor my heart rate to optimize performance. Since I just love data, I decided to wear a heart monitor during my first solo cross-country flight. The Garmin Virb Elite that I use to record the video of my flights can also capture GPS and heart monitor data. Combining all of this with the cockpit audio recording I get a detailed analysis of my stress levels during various parts of the flight. Continue reading
Solo Cross Country Endorsement with ATC Radio
Last weekend my instructor put me through a flight test to make sure I was ready for my solo cross country endorsement. The test consisted of multiple towered and non-towered airports to see how I handled the workload with a number of radio handoffs and airspace navigation. Continue reading
Three Papa Foxtrot 